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The Rescue Flight/plot
Chapter 1: Peter Fortymore Receives Bad News The headmaster of Rundell School has bad news for Peter Fortymore (or "Thirty"). His brother Captain Nigel Fortymore ("Forty"), an R.F.C. pilot, has been shot down over the Western Front and presumed killed. Thirty also gets a letter written by his brother a few weeks before. Forty talks about the time they spent in Germany fishing in Berglaken where they stayed in an old hut near a big field where aircraft could land. He could live off the land there while waiting for a pick up. "Anyway, if one day I fail to return from a show, you will know where to find me," Forty concludes. Thirty believes his brother is still alive and intends to search out Berglaken. Together with his best friend Dick Ripley] ("Rip"), they decide to run away from school. Chapter 2: The Adventure Begins Thirty and Rip hitch a ride to London. There they dress in Forty's old R.F.C. uniforms and proceed to Hounslow where they steal two Sopwith Camels and head for France. Chapter 3: France Crossing over the Western Front, Thirty and Rip are attacked by an Albatros. Fortunatly Biggles arrives and shoots it down. They follow him to Maranique where they bluff their way into 266 Sqn. Major Mullen posts them to Biggles' "C" flight. Chapter 4: Into the Blue After 10 day's practice, Biggles and Algy take Thirty and Rip for their first patrol over the lines and Thirty acquits himself well. Coming back, Biggles has a shock for them: "Just what do you two fellows think you're doing here?" Chapter 5: A Discussion in Confidence Biggles shows Thirty and Rip a newspaper cutting he had received. On one side is a story about their mysterious disappearance from school. Thirty has no choice but to come clean and he explains his brother's scheme for rescuing British pilots from behind enemy lines and how he had himself nominated a pick up at Berglaken. Biggles surprises Thirty and Rip by not turning them in. There is merit in the sheer boldness and originality of Forty's scheme. Besides he cannot have the two inexperienced flyers going so deep into enemy territory on their own, so he offers to help them. Chapter 6: The Great Adventure Two days later, Thirty and Rip take off early in the morning in a Bristol Fighter escorted by Biggles and Algy in Camels. They get to the field in Berglaken without incident. Leaving Rip to look after the aircraft, Biggles, Algy and Thirty make their way to the hut Forty had mentioned. Chapter 7: Neck or Nothing They get to the hut in time to see a party of German soldiers surround the hut and take someone prisoner. It's Forty! Thirty is frustrated that they got to the scene just five minutes too late. But Biggles is not finished yet--they still have the element of surprise. They ambush the German soldiers as they step out of the hut and force them to lay down their arms. They then make a run for their aircraft and take off for home. Chapter 8: A Race for Life The aircraft race for the lines pursued by a flight of Albatrosses and then by a flight of Fokker Triplanes. Fortunately, Mahoney (pre-arranged by Biggles) turns up with his flight of Camels and helps Biggles and Algy hold the pursuers off allowing Thirty, Rip and Forty to land safely at Maranique Chapter 9: Forty Makes a Proposition Major Raymond is delighted to see Forty and is keen to see the same thing done for other escaped prisoners as the allies badly needed experienced officers. Forty welcomes the idea as he was the one who had originally proposed the scheme. Then, to Thirty's consternation, he offers to go back into Germany undercover as a prisoner to brief trusted prisoners about the plan and the designated landing grounds where they could expect to be picked up. Chapter 10: A Dangerous Mission Forty's proposal is approved and he is reinserted behind enemy lines to be taken prisoner again. Chapter 11: Rescue Flight to the Rescue The Rescue Flight, now officially formed, makes their first pick up. Back at Maranique, Biggles is annoyed to discover that the man they had rescued is one of Raymond's agents. He had no idea he would be engaged on intelligence operations, but Raymond convinces him that it was necessary and important. Chapter 12: Cutting It Fine The Rescue Flight operations continue smoothly for a while, with several escapees being picked up. Then Thirty lands and finds two men waiting: an infantry major and a wounded R.F.C. pilot. The major insists on going first but Thirty wants to give priority to the wounded man. He boldly orders the major off the plane with a very pistol but promises to come back for him again. At great risk to themselves, the Rescue Flight mounts a second sortie in broad daylight and keep their promise to retrieve the major. Chapter 13: Disaster Major Raymond has a new mission for them. There is an important British agent, Father Dupont, operating from a church tower in Belville-sur-Somme behind enemy lines. But his transmitter had broken down and he needed a spare part urgently. Thirty speaks German fluently so he volunteers to go. But the visibility is poor and it is raining heavily so Thirty and Rip land in the wrong field and crash the Bristol Fighter. Thirty tells Rip to make for landing field C, one of the Rescue Flight's pick up fields and wait for Biggles. Chapter 14: Belville-sur-Somme Dressed like a French peasant, Thirty is offered a lift by a passing German truck and brought to Belville-sur-Somme where he makes contact with Father Dupont at his house. Thirty hands over the spare part but he soon has to hide when a German officer knocks. Chapter 15: A Desparate Predicament Thirty overhears the German telling Father Dupont that a suspicious stranger had been seen in the area, and that they had brought in some dogs to hunt for him. Aware that his presence might compromise the padre, Thirty decides to act as a thief. This would allow Father Dupont to talk his way out if the dogs led the Germans to the house. Thirty makes like he is stealing some food from the kitchen and jumps out of the window. Outside, he can hear the dogs baying, so he makes for the river and jumps into it. A woman in a passing canal boat picks him up and helps him get away. With some borrowed clothes, Thirty makes his way to landing field C where he finds Rip. There's also another officer who introduces himself as Captain Forsyth of the Buffs. Chapter 16: Captain Forsyth of the Buffs Feeling hungry, Thirty heads for the surrounding woods where the Rescue Flight had left a food parcel. To his shock, he meets a German soldier. But he merely smiles and offers to share a piece of sausage! Puzzled, he returns to Rip and Forsyth. They are soon picked up by 2 F.E.2s which Biggles had borrowed from 100 Sqn and flown back to Maranique. Then Thirty surprises everyone and draws a pistol, ordering Forsyth not to move. Chapter 17: A Life for a Life Thirty suspects Forsyth is a German spy. His uniform smells like it had been chemically cleaned. And it also explains why the German soldier at the landing ground had been so friendly with him. The soldier had been told to expect a German agent dressed as a British officer! Forsyth admits that Thirty is right. German intelligence had suspected Forty and had bugged his conversation with another senior British prisoner. German intelligence had learnt of Forty's entire plan and had taken the opportunity to use the Rescue Flight to insert an agent behind British lines. Concerned that Forty's life is now in danger, Thirty offers Forsyth a trade, "a life for a life". Forsyth reveals that Forty was no longer a prisoner--he had escaped but the Germans did not know where he was. Forsyth also gives Thirty a password which he can use with the German troops at the landing ground and a yellow scarf which, tied ot the tail of a plane, would grant it safe passage through the German fighters. Chapter 18: Thirty Goes Back The yellow scarf works and Thirty gets through the German patrols to landing field "C". He gives a German lieutenant there the password that he has come back to pick up another man. The lieutenant leads him to a British officer he had just caught: it's Forty! Thirty pretends to be angry that the lieutenant had bungled and had delayed his mission. His prisoner was the agent he was supposed to ferry behind British lines. Forty, playing along, says he is ready to go. But now there is a German colonel approaching and he might give the game away. So Thirty and Forty run to their aircraft and make a hasty departure. Chapter 19: Through Thick and Thin Soon German fighters are in pursuit--the Germans must have seen through the deception. The situation becomes desparate, but Biggles, Algy and Rip turn up and drive off German fighters. Back at Maranique, they find that Forsyth has knocked out Smyth, who had been left in charge of him. The German agent then seizes Thirty's F.E.2 and makes an escape. It's still trailing the yellow scarf but now it has become a death trap. Up above, some Albatros fighters are still waiting for it and they attack, shooting down Forsyth. Chapter 20: Accused The Rescue Flight is summoned to Mullen's office. Major Raymond confronts Thirty and Rip. They have been exposed! Raymond says he had recommended Thirty for the Military Cross for the Belville affair but headquarters, in processing this, had found out that he and Rip were not listed among their R.F.C. officers. Thirty is forced to confess to the whole story but adds that while he is sorry for the trouble he has caused, he does not regret what he did as he has achieved what he set out to do. Raymond admits that they had rendered good service and they would obviously not have the patience to go back to school now. Thus he had arranged for them to be gazetted as officers in the R.F.C.. Their commissions would be backdated to the time they had arrived, and that the recommendation for the decoration would be allowed to stand. Category:Plot summaries